Chapter 136: Wan Niang

At this moment, tears fell from my eyes.

Unexplainably, yet deeply touched by Zhao Shiwu’s parting words.

Watching Zhao Shiwu step by step walk toward that mirror, my heart trembled slightly.

"Xiaodong, this kind of formation requires nine lifetimes of reincarnation from a single person to truly be completed. Unless you possess heaven-defying Daoist arts, it is simply impossible to alter the destiny within it."

How could I not know what Xiyue was saying? From the very moment my memories awakened, I had already foreseen many things that would happen next, yet I never expected everything to arrive so quickly.

Just as Zhao Shiwu’s body slowly merged into the ancient bronze mirror, my heart suddenly gave a violent thump, because I instantly caught a glimpse of a shadow within the bronze mirror. That shadow was none other than the old man I had seen before.

Swish, swish, swish...

As I stared at the ninth mirror, I saw Zhao Shiwu's body melting bit by bit into it. Zhang Keqing, the armored corpse standing beside Xiyue, let out a sharp cry. In an instant, I saw the eighth mirror generate a massive suction force, pulling Zhao Shiwu directly into it. Without hesitation, Zhang Keqing bit her own finger and fiercely pressed it against the center of her brow.

"By decree!"

Following a sharp shout, the innkeeper—whom Zhang Keqing had previously refined and swallowed—flashed and abruptly merged into the eighth archaic bronze mirror.

Meanwhile, Zhang Keqing stood there gasping for heavy breaths, but without giving us a single second to react, she dashed instantly into the ninth archaic bronze mirror, disappearing in the blink of an eye into the tunnel corresponding to it.

"Stop right there!"

Xiyue’s figure flashed, turning into a streak of moonlight as she gave direct chase.

As for me, I immediately hoisted Chen Chuyi onto my back, flashed forward, and plunged right inside.

Yet, just as I passed the ninth mirror, I caught a clear sight of Zhao Shiwu, who was pinned directly behind the ninth bronze mirror. At that moment, Zhao Shiwu was completely immobilized, his entire body pierced through by countless blood-red spikes. Even then, one could still perceive that unbearable, pungent stench of decay.

A sudden realization struck me, and casting a sideways glance, I looked at the other archaic bronze mirrors nearby. At that moment, I was utterly dumbfounded, for I saw that a person was similarly impaled behind the eighth mirror—that person was none other than the innkeeper of the Nameless Inn. The seventh mirror was the same, the sixth, the fifth...

At that sudden and unexpected scene, I was frozen with fright.

"Pavilion Master, go! Take Chuyi and leave!"

Just as I lost my focus for a split second, Zhao Shiwu, pinned upon the ninth archaic bronze mirror, suddenly spoke up. Looking at Zhao Shiwu, whose entire body was pierced by densely packed, tiny spikes, an unspeakable sorrow wrenched my heart. But just as I made to draw closer, Zhao Shiwu mustered every ounce of his remaining strength and roared at the top of his lungs, "Go! Hurry up and go!"

A heavy ache flooded my heart at that moment, yet I knew this was no time for lingering sentimentality, nor was it the moment for tearful farewells.

I nodded resolutely at Zhao Shiwu, and carrying Chen Chuyi on my back, I plunged straight into the dark tunnel ahead, whose destination remained completely unknown.

To Xiyue's and my puzzlement, after walking through the tunnel for about ten minutes, we failed to encounter Zhang Keqing at all. It seemed she was far more familiar with this place than we were.

Cough, cough...

"Where is this? Why does it look somewhat different from the Ghost City?"

Just as Xiyue and I stood in a clearing, hesitating before two diverging tunnels, Chen Chuyi, riding on my back, finally woke up.

"Grandpa Chen, we are still inside the tomb..."

Chen Chuyi climbed down from my back, looked around, and a distinct realization washed over his face.

I knew this matter could not be concealed from him anyway. Moreover, Chen Chuyi's art of divination was clearly not as simple as I had imagined; after all, a master like Zhao Shiwu had been willing to die for him. While bonds of brotherhood undoubtedly played a major role, it was not hard to see that their master's past arrangements must have taken certain deeper factors into account.

Without hiding anything, I recounted everything that had happened. Chen Chuyi stood there blankly, staring at me without uttering a word for a long time. He remained motionless, tears streaming down his aged face one by one.

Xiyue and I simply stood quietly by his side.

"Senior brother, why did you have to do this? Did you not know that once you enter the mirror, there is no hope of reincarnation?"

"This is the fate of Chen Chuyi... Since we were children, you yielded to me in everything, shielding me from every danger. I always trailed behind you—I cast the divinations while you charged into battle. Over all these years together, traversing the land north and south, we lost count of the ghosts we subdued and the demons we slaughtered. Why must the end result be..."

At this point, Chen Chuyi seemed utterly unable to continue. He stood there in a daze, gazing ahead at the two openings.

"Xiaodong, let's go. This way!"

Seeing Chen Chuyi's abrupt transformation and hearing his feeble voice, my heart remained heavy with worry.

"Grandpa Chen, are you alright?"

Chen Chuyi nodded, then softly said, "My senior brother sacrificed himself to preserve me, so naturally, I must lead you out of here. Rest assured, Xiaodong, I, Chen Chuyi, know what is at stake."

I remained silent, feeling certain that Chen Chuyi could never snap out of it so easily.

Following closely behind Chen Chuyi, neither Xiyue nor I spoke.

"Pay attention. Up ahead lies the altar, but I sense things are not that simple. It seems Zhang Keqing, who arrived ahead of us, has left us quite a troublesome puzzle!"

I nodded, saying nothing more.

Taking a few steps to catch up with Chen Chuyi, the three of us cautiously stepped into the altar chamber. Within this space, I could distinctly feel a horrifying wave of Yin energy, which condensed into a human shape almost in an instant.

And that figure was none other than Wan Niang.

"Wan Niang..."

A surge of joy instantly welled up in my heart, but just as I cried out and made to step forward, Chen Chuyi suddenly grabbed me, saying coldly, "She is not the Wan Niang we saw before."

Sure enough, the moment I called out, the Wan Niang formed entirely of Yin energy turned around. Dressed in crimson silk robes, she exuded an eerie, spine-chilling aura. Her raven-black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and while her face was exquisitely delicate, a ghostly smile lurked behind that refined facade. The moment I caught sight of that smile, a deep wave of unease washed over me, for the smile was painfully familiar—it reminded me of Wan Niang, yet it was devoid of any kindness, revealing only a vicious and ferocious side.